Podcast
Management Muse
Hosted by Cindi Baldi and Geoffrey Tumlin · EN
Management Muse is a leadership and management podcast for professionals who want to improve communication, increase employee engagement, and build high-performing teams. Hosts Cindi Baldi and Geoffrey Tumlin draw from organizational science, management research, and decades of experience to deliver actionable insights that improve workplace performance. Topics include leadership development, team dynamics, performance management, workplace culture, change leadership, and strategic communication. Whether you’re leading a team or working within one, Management Muse helps you strengthen your skills and drive meaningful results.
28episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Ep 107 - How to Prevent Digital Disaster: The Digital Continuity Checklist Every Leader Needs with Paige Wiese
1w ago00:32:27Tap to summarizeYour company might be one expired domain, missing admin login, or messy vendor contract away from a digital disaster. In this episode of Management Muse, Cindi Baldi talks with Paige Wiese, founder and CEO of Tree Ring Digital, about the hidden digital weak spots that can turn into expensive chaos. From wiped computers and missing website documentation to personal email accounts and AI tools, this conversation explores the everyday ways organizations accidentally build fragility into their digital ecosystem. You’ll learn why leaders need to document who has access to what, why offboarding should include more than collecting a laptop, and how to avoid becoming the company that discovers its entire digital operation was held together by one person’s browser history. This episode is for managers, executives, founders, and anyone who has ever asked, “Wait… who has the login for that?” Episode Highlights: What digital continuity means and why it matters How to track digital ownership Why employee exits can create major digital risk What to watch for in vendor contracts New risks with AI tools and personal accounts How managers can prepare before the digital disaster happens About Paige Wiese: Paige Wiese, Founder & CEO of Tree Ring Digital, has been involved in over 75 digital due diligence and post-acquisition projects, reviewing more than 300 digital data points per business. Through her proprietary Digital Asset Protection™ system and Ownership Mapping Framework™, Paige helps advisors and business owners prevent costly deal delays and protect valuation by ensuring full control of every digital asset before a sale. Connect with Paige: Linkedin | FB | IG | YT Watch This Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/QB3zXLdOXck Get your copy of The Uncertainty Playbook: 14 Strategies for Work Success in a Chaotic World here. → Use code PLAYBOOK20 for 20% off. Get Science-Backed Insights and Exclusive Perks Straight to Your Inbox: → Sign up for our newsletter and get our FREE guide to the 6 Habits You NEED to Level Up Your Management Skills in 2026! Want to Go Deeper? Check Out Our Recommended Reading: Spears, Roger. “AI Governance in 2025: 3 Key Strategies to Protect Your Business and Stay Compliant,” Schneider Downs, 1 Oct. 2025, https://schneiderdowns.com/our-thoughts-on/ai-governance-3-key-strategies-to-protect-your-business-and-stay-compliant/ Norton, Kieran, et al., “How can tech leaders manage emerging generative AI risks today while keeping the future in mind?” Deloitte Center for Integrated Research, 20 Feb. 2025, https://www.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/topics/digital-transformation/four-emerging-categories-of-gen-ai-risks.html Join Our Community & Follow Us: - Youtube Channel - LinkedIn - Instagram -Facebook -TikTok - Website
Transcribe →Ep 106 - The Pay Transparency Problem: How Much Should Employees Really Know?
2w ago00:23:53Tap to summarizeShould people at work know what everyone else makes? In this episode of Management Muse, Cindi Baldi and Geoffrey Tumlin tackle the messy science and management reality of pay transparency. Too little transparency sends employees into the rumor mill. Too much transparency can make people obsess over small differences, narrow salary bands, and reduce room for negotiation. The sweet spot? A Goldilocks approach: enough transparency to build trust and reduce speculation, but not so much that compensation becomes the only thing people can see. Cindi and Geoff explore why salary satisfaction is often driven less by the absolute number on a paycheck and more by who employees compare themselves to. They discuss why job markets provide a reality check, how to leverage this information to get paid what you’re worth, and what managers should do when employees believe they are underpaid. This episode gives leaders a practical way to think about compensation clarity without turning the workplace into a salary cage match. Episode Highlights: What pay satisfaction depends on The danger of too little–or too much–transparency How managers can help employees find better “comparison others” Why promotions should come with real pay conversations How labor-market swings can create pay compression and resentment Watch This Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/vHhnHLQHpMk Get your copy of The Uncertainty Playbook: 14 Strategies for Work Success in a Chaotic World here. → Use code PLAYBOOK20 for 20% off. Get Science-Backed Insights and Exclusive Perks Straight to Your Inbox: → Sign up for our newsletter and get our FREE guide to the 6 Habits You NEED to Level Up Your Management Skills in 2026! Want to Go Deeper? Check Out Our Recommended Reading: Cullen, Zoë, and Bobak Pakzad-Hurson. “Equilibrium Effects of Pay Transparency.” Econometrica, 2023, https://www.hbs.edu/ris/Publication%20Files/Cullen_Equilibrium_Effects_Econometrica_2c580d57-9746-4946-bcd4-3d194d6b74ad.pdf Card, David, Alexandre Mas, Enrico Moretti, and Emmanuel Saez. 2012. "Inequality at Work: The Effect of Peer Salaries on Job Satisfaction." American Economic Review 102 (6): 2981–3003, https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/aer.102.6.2981 Join Our Community & Follow Us: - Youtube Channel - LinkedIn - Instagram -Facebook -TikTok - Website
Transcribe →Ep 105 - Why Performance Management Is Broken (And 3 Tips to Fix It) with Collette Revere
3w ago00:56:34Tap to summarizePerformance reviews eat up time, frustrate employees, and often fail to improve performance. So why are so many organizations still clinging to them? In this episode of Management Muse, Cindi Baldi talks with Collette Revere, CEO of Open 360, about why traditional performance management is overdue for the trash heap. Collette explains how the model many organizations still use dates back to World War I. It made sense in a more rigid, hierarchical era, but work has changed. Cindi and Collette unpack why performance reviews are often backward-looking, demotivating, and better at catching low performers than helping good people get better. Collette brings three simple shifts leaders can implement to improve performance management right now, even if their organization is not ready for a full system overhaul. If you’ve ever sat through a review and thought, “What exactly is this helping?” this one’s for you. Episode Highlights: Why traditional performance reviews often fail to improve performance The hidden time cost of performance reviews for leaders Why past-focused feedback can demotivate instead of drive improvement How better communication can improve employee performance Three practical ways to improve performance management right now What better performance conversations should actually focus on About Collette Revere: Collette Revere is the Founder and CEO of Open360™, a psychology-based leadership and development company helping organizations strengthen trust, alignment, and performance through feedback and communication. A mental health professional, certified change management practitioner, and organizational development consultant, she has spent nearly two decades helping leaders improve performance management, navigate change, and build healthier workplace culture using practical approaches grounded in behavioral science. Connect with Collette: Website | Linkedin Watch This Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/QL4q6cHDWB0 Get your copy of The Uncertainty Playbook: 14 Strategies for Work Success in a Chaotic World here. → Use code PLAYBOOK20 for 20% off. Get Science-Backed Insights and Exclusive Perks Straight to Your Inbox: → Sign up for our newsletter and get our FREE guide to the 6 Habits You NEED to Level Up Your Management Skills in 2026! Want to Go Deeper? Check Out Our Recommended Reading: Buckingham, Marcus and Goodall, Ashley. “The Feedback Fallacy,” Harvard Business Review, Apr. 2019, https://hbr.org/2019/03/the-feedback-fallacy Cappelli, Peter and Tavis, Anna. The Performance Management Revolution, Harvard Business Review Press, 1 Oct. 2016, https://store.hbr.org/product/the-performance-management-revolution/R1610D?srsltid=AfmBOoqCUszEt_FzkkBghohLl4BywwVmVSsCrO1XcgagCwntrjNNLnPJ& Join Our Community & Follow Us: - Youtube Channel - LinkedIn - Instagram -Facebook -TikTok - Website
Transcribe →Ep 104 - Can the Consultants Be Stumped? [Real Workplace Problems Solved Live]
Apr 1400:32:06Tap to summarizeReal workplace problems. No prep. No easy answers. Can the consultants be stumped? In this special episode of Management Muse, Cindi Baldi and Geoffrey Tumlin put their management consulting instincts to the test with real workplace problems pulled from years of coaching leaders, managers, and organizations. One presents the dilemma, the other has to solve it on the spot before finding out what actually happened. The dilemmas are messy yet highly relatable: a top performer aging out, a boss who refuses to respect work-life boundaries, and interpersonal drama that threatens operations. Cindi and Geoff reveal how executive coaches and organizational consultants think through leadership challenges in real time. Along the way, they explore one of the hardest truths in consulting: many workplace problems can be solved, but only if people are willing to have the tough conversations. Fast-paced, funny, and packed with practical leadership advice, this episode is full of insights for managers, executives, HR leaders, and anyone navigating difficult people problems at work. Listen in and see whether the consultants crack the case—or get stumped. Episode Highlights: How experienced consultants diagnose messy workplace problems in real time How to honor loyal employees without hurting performance Why avoiding hard conversations creates bigger problems at work Practical ways to set boundaries with an overreaching boss Why a pay raise often fails to solve burnout How leaders should manage personal conflict at the executive level What David and Goliath teaches about disruption and business strategy Why past success can blind organizations to future threats Watch This Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/lu7ImQV5feY Get your copy of The Uncertainty Playbook: 14 Strategies for Work Success in a Chaotic World here. → Use code PLAYBOOK20 for 20% off. Get Science-Backed Insights and Exclusive Perks Straight to Your Inbox: → Sign up for our newsletter and get our FREE guide to the 6 Habits You NEED to Level Up Your Management Skills in 2026! Want to Go Deeper? Check Out Our Recommended Reading: Rumeult, Richard P. The Crux: How Leaders Become Strategists, PublicAffairs, 3 May 2022, https://a.co/d/0cFhIw35 Christensen, Clayton. The Innovator’s Dilemma, Harper Business, 4 Oct. 2011, https://a.co/d/04tjyp7J Ury, William. The Power of a Positive No, Bantam, 26 Dec. 2007, https://a.co/d/04ZKtABx Join Our Community & Follow Us: - Youtube Channel - LinkedIn - Instagram -Facebook -TikTok - Website
Transcribe →Ep 103 - Why Change Management Is Failing in Today’s Disruptive World [And How Leaders Can Fix It] with Leslie Ellis
Apr 800:48:33Tap to summarizeYour team agrees with you. They nod in meetings. And yet… nothing changes. In this episode of Management Muse, Cindi Baldi sits down with Leslie Ellis, CEO of Meaningful Change Consulting, to unpack one of the most frustrating leadership challenges: when alignment in the room doesn’t translate into action. The problem isn’t as simple as individual resistance, it’s also how organizations fundamentally think about change. Most companies still treat change as a one-time event: something to roll out, push through, and move past. But in today’s environment, disruption is constant, and that model is breaking down. Leslie introduces a more effective approach: shifting from “change” to continuous reinvention. More importantly, she argues that reinvention can’t just be an initiative, it has to be embedded into the culture. When reinvention becomes part of how an organization operates, teams become more resilient, and organizations stay on the cutting edge amidst ongoing disruption. Together, they explore why evolution beats revolution, how to build reinvention into your organization’s rhythm, and why leaders must model this shift before expecting it from anyone else. If your change efforts aren’t sticking, this conversation will help you understand why, and how to build an organization that can actually keep up. Episode Highlights: The reason alignment doesn’t translate into action Why big “change pushes” often create more resistance than progress and how to fix it The hidden risk of treating long-term plans as fixed commitments How to normalize revisiting decisions without triggering ego or ownership issues What it looks like to build adaptability into your organization’s rhythm The leadership behaviors that signals “it’s safe to evolve here” About Leslie Ellis: Leslie Ellis is an executive change advisor and CEO of Meaningful Change Consulting, helping leaders succeed in complex, high-stakes transformation. She works with senior teams navigating enterprise change, culture shifts, and reinvention. She focuses on what most organizations miss: leadership alignment, decision-making, and setting the right conditions before execution. With 20+ years of experience, Leslie has supported 55+ organizations across 42 countries, impacting over 900,000 stakeholders. She’s often brought in when change is stalled or at risk—or to prevent those outcomes entirely. Leslie is a Forbes Business Council member, Certified Change Management Professional, and Certified Reinvention Practitioner. Connect with Leslie: Website | Linkedin | Instagram | Facebook Watch This Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/J4ZZNBntXGE Get your copy of The Uncertainty Playbook: 14 Strategies for Work Success in a Chaotic World here. → Use code PLAYBOOK20 for 20% off. Get Science-Backed Insights and Exclusive Perks Straight to Your Inbox: → Sign up for our newsletter and get our FREE guide to the 6 Habits You NEED to Level Up Your Management Skills in 2026! Want to Go Deeper? Check Out Our Recommended Reading: Sonenshein, Scott. "We're Changing--Or Are We? Untangling the Role of Progressive, Regressive, and Stability Narratives During Strategic Change Implementation," Academy of Management Journal, 53 (3), 30 Nov. 2017, https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2010.51467638 McGrath, Rita Gunther and Gourlay, Alex. The End of Competitive Advantage: How to Keep Your Strategy Moving as Fast as Your Business, Harvard Business Review Press, 4 Jun. 2013, https://a.co/d/06GdXTAg Join Our Community & Follow Us: - Youtube Channel - LinkedIn - Instagram -Facebook -TikTok - Website
Transcribe →Ep 102 - How Demographic Shifts Are Changing Business Strategy [Why Your Customers Are Disappearing]
Mar 3100:30:11Tap to summarizeWhat happens when your customers don’t just change… they disappear? In this episode of Management Muse, Cindi Baldi and Geoffrey Tumlin unpack how demographic shifts are rewriting business strategy, often long before leaders realize what is happening. From aging populations and labor shortages to dropping birth rates and school closures, they explore how changes in population, behavior, and generational preferences can disrupt entire industries right under your nose. And here’s the catch: too often, brands don’t realize the shift until it hits them over the head. Using examples from healthcare, education, hospitality, and live events, Cindi and Geoff show why strategy cannot stay static when the people you serve are evolving. They tackle a key leadership challenge: how to adapt to new markets without abandoning the customers you already have. If you lead people, serve customers, or build strategy, this is a shift you can’t afford to ignore. Episode Highlights: How generational shifts are reshaping business strategy Why aging populations create winners in some industries and decline in others What labor shortages reveal about changing workforce demographics What Gen Z’s changing social habits mean for brands How leaders can adapt without overreacting or alienating current customers Watch This Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/s14j_fp9N5Q Get your copy of The Uncertainty Playbook: 14 Strategies for Work Success in a Chaotic World here. → Use code PLAYBOOK20 for 20% off. Get Science-Backed Insights and Exclusive Perks Straight to Your Inbox: → Sign up for our newsletter and get our FREE guide to the 6 Habits You NEED to Level Up Your Management Skills in 2026! Want to Go Deeper? Check Out Our Recommended Reading: Sciubba, Jennifer D. “The Global Population Is Aging. Is Your Business Prepared?,” Harvard Business Review, 18 Nov. 2022, https://hbr.org/2022/11/the-global-population-is-aging-is-your-business-prepared Lund, Susan et al. “The Future of Work After COVID-19,” McKinsey Global Institute, 18 Feb. 2021, https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/future-of-work/the-future-of-work-after-covid-19 Join Our Community & Follow Us: - Youtube Channel - LinkedIn - Instagram -Facebook -TikTok - Website
Transcribe →Ep 101 - Reinventing Yourself: When It’s Time to Walk Away from What You Built
Mar 2400:47:03Tap to summarizeWalking away from a decade of training and a prestigious title? Most people would call that reckless. Dr. Seema Desai calls it survival. In this episode of Management Muse, Cindi Baldi sits down with former dentist turned keynote speaker and author Seema Desai to explore one of leadership's most difficult questions: When do you walk away from what you built? Seema unpacks her journey from wielding the "Dr." title as armor to discovering that ego-driven success was costing her everything: her peace, her parenting, and her sense of self. She reveals how the sunk cost fallacy keeps high achievers trapped in misery, why privilege isn't the same as entitlement, and how small, intentional experiments can lead to transformative change without blowing up your life overnight. This conversation is for anyone who's ever thought, "I should be grateful for this... so why am I so unhappy?" If you've been waiting for permission to reimagine your path, this is it. Episode Highlights: The sunk cost fallacy and why past investment shouldn't dictate your future How ego-driven identity creates fragile, unsustainable success Maslow’s hierarchy and the cost of misalignment Why clarity often comes from action, not planning What it really takes to reinvent yourself About Dr. Seema Desai: Dr. Seema Desai is a keynote speaker, author, certified coach, and creator of The Joy First Method™. She works with high-performing leaders and teams who seek sustainable, meaningful, and aligned results, moving beyond pressure-driven success models. Dr. Desai teaches leaders to use joy as a strategy—not a reward—for high performance. Her work reframes joy as a competitive advantage that strengthens decision-making, resilience, innovation, and long-term results. She is the author of Connected and co-host of the award-winning podcast Happy and Human. A wife, mom, and trained general dentist, she offers a grounded perspective on high-performance leadership. Connect with Seema: Website | Instagram | Linkedin Watch This Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/VyNGC5-Nb5E Get your copy of The Uncertainty Playbook: 14 Strategies for Work Success in a Chaotic World here. → Use code PLAYBOOK20 for 20% off. Get Science-Backed Insights and Exclusive Perks Straight to Your Inbox: → Sign up for our newsletter and get our FREE guide to the 6 Habits You NEED to Level Up Your Management Skills in 2026! Want to Go Deeper? Check Out Our Recommended Reading: Kahneman, Daniel. Thinking, Fast and Slow, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2013, https://a.co/d/09E15XTn Kegan, Robert and Lahey, Lisa. Immunity to Change: How to Overcome it and Unlock the Potential in Yourself and Your Organization, Harvard Business Review Press, 2009, https://a.co/d/0a8DykXV A.H. Maslow. “A Theory of Human Motivation,” Psychological Review, 1943; 50, 370-396, https://psychclassics.yorku.ca/Maslow/motivation.htm Join Our Community & Follow Us: - Youtube Channel - LinkedIn - Instagram -Facebook -TikTok - Website
Transcribe →Memes to Management Lessons: Our 100th Episode Special
Mar 1700:42:27Tap to summarizeWhat can workplace memes teach us about leadership? More than you might think. To celebrate 100 episodes of Management Muse, we have a special episode for you. The team pulled together a collection of workplace reels—from unlimited PTO policies to the trials of middle management—and challenged Cindi and Geoff to react to them live. Some are hilarious. Some are painfully accurate. And almost all of them contain a kernel of insight into how organizations function. Along the way, Cindi and Geoff unpack what these viral clips reveal about workplace culture, leadership myths, and the dynamics shaping modern organizations. Why do meetings multiply so quickly and how can they be reigned back in? Why can holiday bonuses spark frustration instead of gratitude? And what role do friendships, incentives, and workplace norms actually play in performance? Come for the laughs. Stay for the science-backed insights that might just change how you think about work. Episode Highlights: The real role of middle managers A radical meeting reform idea How holiday bonuses can backfire The dark motive behind unlimited PTO Why your boss’ emails never have punctuation Kombucha taps to nap pods: the office perk arms race Watch This Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/dtUwst_HnhM Get your copy of The Uncertainty Playbook: 14 Strategies for Work Success in a Chaotic World here. → Use code PLAYBOOK20 for 20% off. Get Science-Backed Insights and Exclusive Perks Straight to Your Inbox: → Sign up for our newsletter and get our FREE guide to the 6 Habits You NEED to Level Up Your Management Skills in 2026! Join Our Community & Follow Us: - Youtube Channel - LinkedIn - Instagram -Facebook -TikTok - Website
Transcribe →Ep 99 - The Hidden Risk of AI: A World Without Friction
Mar 1000:35:43Tap to summarizeThe biggest risk of AI isn't that it will replace us; it's that it will stunt our growth. In this episode of Management Muse, Cindi Baldi and Geoff Tumlin explore the rapidly growing belief that artificial intelligence will transform, or even replace, large parts of work and leadership. They argue that this narrative misses something fundamental about how organizations actually function. From decision-making and strategy to coaching and customer service, they unpack where AI actually adds value and where human judgment, relationships, and real-world experience will have true staying power. The conversation challenges the assumption that more efficiency always leads to better outcomes. In many cases, the moments that feel inefficient—difficult conversations, feedback, mentorship, and trust-building—are exactly what make teams stronger and organizations more resilient. If you want to understand how to use AI without losing the human edge that makes leadership effective, don’t miss this episode. Episode Highlights: How AI distorts self-evaluation The risk of removing friction from the workplace Upskilling and the future of work Why strategy can't be automated The relationship that keeps employees loyal Watch This Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/KeEoSALhvlk Get your copy of The Uncertainty Playbook: 14 Strategies for Work Success in a Chaotic World here. → Use code PLAYBOOK20 for 20% off. Get Science-Backed Insights and Exclusive Perks Straight to Your Inbox: → Sign up for our newsletter and get our FREE guide to the 6 Habits You NEED to Level Up Your Management Skills in 2026! Want to Go Deeper? Check Out Our Recommended Reading: Hau, Isabelle C. "Welcome to the Era of Relational Intelligence," Stanford Social Innovation Review, 2026, https://ssir.org/articles/entry/era-of-relational-intelligence Bjork E.L. & Bjork R.A., "Making things hard on yourself, but in a good way: Creating desirable difficulties to enhance learning," Psychology and the real world: Essays illustrating fundamental contributions to society, Worth Publishers, pp. 56-64, https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2011-19926-008 Join Our Community & Follow Us: - Youtube Channel - LinkedIn - Instagram -Facebook -TikTok - Website
Transcribe →Ep 98 - Accountability That Actually Works (Part 2)
Mar 300:26:44Tap to summarizeAccountability sounds straightforward…until you try to enforce it. In Part 2 of this series on Management Muse, Cindi and Geoff move from defining the boundaries of micromanagement to confronting the real challenge: what real accountability requires. They explore how leaders over-control when they’re anxious and under-coach when roles evolve. They turn to the real engine of accountability: feedback. Why public reminders don’t work. Why sugarcoating dilutes the message. Why deadlines change behavior. And why leaders with high emotional intelligence may be the most tempted to avoid the very conversations that drive performance. If you want accountability without resentment, this is where the work actually begins. Listen to Part 1 here. Episode Highlights: How to unlearn micromanaging behaviors you might have inadvertently picked up The hidden accountability gap when roles change but expectations don’t The “Poop Sandwich" and why it backfires How to give feedback that boosts accountability The importance of effective conversations and deadlines Watch This Episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/WAYLyFHXSJI Get your copy of The Uncertainty Playbook: 14 Strategies for Work Success in a Chaotic World here. → Use code PLAYBOOK20 for 20% off. Get Science-Backed Insights and Exclusive Perks Straight to Your Inbox: Sign up for our newsletter and get our FREE guide to the 6 Habits You NEED to Level Up Your Management Skills in 2026! Want to Go Deeper? Check Out Our Recommended Reading: DiGangi, Julia. “The Anxious Micromanager,” Harvard Business Review, Sep-Oct. 2023. https://hbr.org/2023/09/the-anxious-micromanager Ilgen, D., Fisher, C., and Taylor, M.S. “Consequences of individuals feedback on behavior in organizations,” Journal of Applied Psychology, 1979, 64(4), 349-371. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.64.4.349 Join Our Community & Follow Us: - Youtube Channel - LinkedIn - Instagram -Facebook -TikTok - Website
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